In general, various air bag modules are installed in a vehicle so as to safely protect a driver and a passenger from impact force according to a collision when of a collision accident of a vehicle is generated during travel.
The air bag modules may be divided into a driver air bag (DAB) module installed at a steering wheel of a vehicle to protect a driver, a passenger air bag (PAB) module installed at a dashboard panel in a front direction of a passenger to protect a passenger on a passenger's seat, a seat air bag (SAB) module installed at each seat of a vehicle to protect passengers from side impact, and a curtain air bag (CAB) module installed inside a roof trim corresponding to a space between a roof panel inside a vehicle and each side door to generally protect the side area of the passengers, according to the type thereof.
FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an example of a collision accident of a vehicle, and FIG. 2 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a movement of a driver seat passenger (driver) and unfolded states of various air bag modules while the collision accident occurs according to FIG. 1.
In a device for protecting a passenger of a vehicle according to the related art, various air bag modules are configured to be automatically unfolded when a predetermined level or more of impact is detected, and particularly, a driver air bag module is configured to be appropriate to protect a driver moving in a straight front direction of the vehicle.
However, the device for protecting a passenger of a vehicle according to the related art has a problem in that when a running vehicle 10A does not have an actual head-on collision with an oncoming vehicle 10B or a specific object (including a stopped object, such as a guard rail on a road), but is eccentric to one side and collides with an impacted object while overlapping the impacted object by a predetermined length as illustrated in FIG. 1, a driver 30 seated in a driver seat 20 eccentrically moves toward an A-pillar positioned between a DAB module 70 and a CAB module 80 as illustrated in FIG. 2, so that a blind spot of safety, in which a head of the driver 30 cannot be protected, is created.
In order to solve the aforementioned problem, an air bag cushion of the DAB module 70 is designed so as to be unfolded toward the A-pillar 60, but in this case, when an actual head-on collision, not an eccentric collision, occurs, expansion force for protecting the driver 30 is lost by a design value toward the A-pillar 60, so that it is difficult to safely protect the driver 30.
Non-described reference numeral 40 refers to a windshield glass configuring a front side of the vehicle, and non-described reference numeral 50 refers to a roof panel configuring an upper side of the vehicle.